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City of Alexandria Announces Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence AwardDeadline for Nominations is Friday, April 3

The City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Sanitation Authority, and the Environmental Policy Commission announce the City's first annual award program to select and formally recognize outstanding residents who have demonstrated their commitment to protecting the natural environment and promoting environmental sustainability. In addition to Alexandria residents, an Alexandria group, club, organization or corporate neighbor may also be nominated to receive this award. The recipient(s) of the award will have a tree planted in their honor during Alexandria Earth Day 2009.

The Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award is named in honor of Mrs. Frances Ellen Pickering, a long-time City activist, and her lifelong dedication to preservation and conservation throughout the City of Alexandria. Mrs. Pickering first helped to create the Mount Vernon Trail between Alexandria and Washington D.C., and was deeply committed to preserving and enhancing the City’s waterfront. She urged the adoption of the City’s Open Space Plan, lobbied to preserve Founder’s Park and protect it from high-rise development, and implemented the planting of 1,000 citizen-donated cherry trees during her tenure as chair of the Alexandria Beautification Commission.

Nomination criteria and guidelines are available at www.alexearthday.org. Nominations should be submitted to the Office of Environmental Quality, 301 King St., Alexandria, VA 22314. Nominations must be received by Friday, April 3. Selections will be made by the Environmental Policy Commission and the Alexandria Sanitation Authority, and the Award will be presented at Alexandria Earth Day on April 25 at Ben Brenman Park.

For more information about the Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award, contact the Office of Environmental Quality, Department of Transportation and Environmental Services at 703.519.3400.